Anne Appleby
Encyclopedia
Anne Appleby is an American
color field
/landscape
painter
. Her works, always bearing titles from the natural world---"Sweet Pine", "Summer Aspen", "Gem"---are simple arrangements of colored canvas panels. Each panel is, at a glance, monochromatic, but closer inspection reveals deep and luminous gradations of hue.
She received her B.F.A. in 1977 from the San Francisco Art Institute
. Before attending the Art Institute, Appleby spent a fifteen year apprenticeship with an Ojibwe Indian elder
in Montana. From him, she learned her patient observation of nature.
Her work is often shown with that of “reductive” painters, but it does not exactly fit into the “pure” painting philosophy held by many of them. As Kenneth Baker wrote in 2004, “using no forms except monochrome panels, Appleby must struggle often with the potential problem of repetition. But [she] achieves a freshness and distinctness that persuade a viewer that she means each one. It is as if she has learned to translate energy of intent directly into radiance of color.”
Although Appleby’s paintings are composed of abstract panels each essentially a single color, she thinks of them as landscapes. She carefully observes particular plants or particular seasons and uses their colors as they grow and change in works that are particular to them. “As I work, I develop an inner dialogue about the meaning of what I’m doing,” she says. “But I can’t paint that. I can’t even speak it. It’s denser than my activity.”
Anne Appleby currently splits her time between San Francisco and her home on the edge of a national forest in Jefferson City, Montana
. She has participated in group exhibitions in institutions such as the Tacoma Art Museum
in Washington, the American Academy in Rome, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where in 1996 she was awarded the SFMoMA SECA Art Award
. She was also the 1999 recipient of the Biennial Award from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation in New York. Appleby shows her paintings primarily at San Francisco’s Gallery Paule Anglim. Her works are held in various museum collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art
and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
color field
Color Field
Color Field painting is a style of abstract painting that emerged in New York City during the 1940s and 1950s. It was inspired by European modernism and closely related to Abstract Expressionism, while many of its notable early proponents were among the pioneering Abstract Expressionists...
/landscape
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. Her works, always bearing titles from the natural world---"Sweet Pine", "Summer Aspen", "Gem"---are simple arrangements of colored canvas panels. Each panel is, at a glance, monochromatic, but closer inspection reveals deep and luminous gradations of hue.
She received her B.F.A. in 1977 from the San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
. Before attending the Art Institute, Appleby spent a fifteen year apprenticeship with an Ojibwe Indian elder
American Indian elder
In American Indian education, within each tribe elders, "are repositories of cultural and philosophical knowledge and are the transmitters of such information," including, "basic beliefs and teachings, encouraging...faith in the Great Spirit, the Creator"...
in Montana. From him, she learned her patient observation of nature.
Her work is often shown with that of “reductive” painters, but it does not exactly fit into the “pure” painting philosophy held by many of them. As Kenneth Baker wrote in 2004, “using no forms except monochrome panels, Appleby must struggle often with the potential problem of repetition. But [she] achieves a freshness and distinctness that persuade a viewer that she means each one. It is as if she has learned to translate energy of intent directly into radiance of color.”
Although Appleby’s paintings are composed of abstract panels each essentially a single color, she thinks of them as landscapes. She carefully observes particular plants or particular seasons and uses their colors as they grow and change in works that are particular to them. “As I work, I develop an inner dialogue about the meaning of what I’m doing,” she says. “But I can’t paint that. I can’t even speak it. It’s denser than my activity.”
Anne Appleby currently splits her time between San Francisco and her home on the edge of a national forest in Jefferson City, Montana
Jefferson City, Montana
Jefferson City is a census-designated place in Jefferson County, Montana, United States. The population was 295 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Helena Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. She has participated in group exhibitions in institutions such as the Tacoma Art Museum
Tacoma Art Museum
In May 2003, Tacoma Art Museum opened a new facility twice the size of its previous home, allowing the museum to expand on its vision and mission. American Institute of Architects AIA Gold Medal winner Antoine Predock designed the building located in the heart of Tacoma’s Cultural District...
in Washington, the American Academy in Rome, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where in 1996 she was awarded the SFMoMA SECA Art Award
SECA Art Award
The SECA Art Award is a contemporary art award program that has been administered by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and its auxiliary SECA since 1967 to honor San Francisco Bay Area artists. It includes an exhibition at SFMOMA, an accompanying catalogue, and a modest cash prize...
. She was also the 1999 recipient of the Biennial Award from the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation in New York. Appleby shows her paintings primarily at San Francisco’s Gallery Paule Anglim. Her works are held in various museum collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
.